I have no Kearly-esque empirical evidence to support this...but I have a sense that Willson is going to be really good. Schneider on the radio today was really high on him and described him as a guy they wanted so much they would have been very disappointed not to get.

TheSeahawksChronicle‏@HawksChronicle3h JS said on @BrocknDanny that he would've really regretted not getting Luke Willson. Likened the situation to RW and Irvin last year.

This is really interesting. I think this might have been the biggest head scratcher pick for me initially, but I love his physical tools and what I hear about his intangibles. I find it kind of hilarious that SF wasted draft capital to "steal" Vance McDonald from Seattle when they were eying the OTHER Rice TE the entire time.

Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

If there is one thing we have learned...we need to wait to see how a player pans out. There's been quite a few picks that we have questioned, especially in the round they were picked. The reality is, JS/PC operate on a totally different model than the traditional "round value".

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

I see him as a Jimmy Graham type player- He certainly has the size and speed of JG. Graham was taken in the same general area- 5-6 round IIRC. I"m glad to see he made a big impression. I'm glad that Ware and Bowie also made impressions. I'd love to see Bowie give Breno some stiff competition. I'd really like to see Ware take over the FB position.

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

This is outstanding news. The one thing other than a starting WLB I wanted the most out of this draft was our own version of Jimmy Graham. It seemed like the only thing our offense was really missing. Here's to hoping Willson is the man.

"If the opportunity presents itself, we're going to come get you. You’re part of the family. You're part of us. You helped us start this thing." - John Schneider before releasing Michael Robinson

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

Gee, so compared to other teams, how do suppose we break out? We had better find a GM that isn't so 'hit or miss' in those later rounds. Was the guy you are responding to saying we 'hit' every pick in those rounds?

Willson has nearly identical size and speed to Jimmy Graham, in fact he was the only draftable tight end this year who could really make a claim like that. So the sense of excitement about getting him makes complete sense. I don't think Willson will be that good, but at his best he might be one of the better vertical threat TEs in the league. Seattle's offense is all about making defenses as uncomfortable as possible. Even if Wilson only has 200 yards receiving next season, he could still elevate the offense as teams will have to account for him.

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

Gee, so compared to other teams, how do suppose we break out? We had better find a GM that isn't so 'hit or miss' in those later rounds. Was the guy you are responding to saying we 'hit' every pick in those rounds?

Batting essentially .500 in the 4th and 5th rounds is superstar territory. Most teams would be thrilled to bat .250. The best 4th/5th rounder Ruskell had was... Red Bryant or Rob Sims. Bryant was a failure until Ruskell was replaced, and Sims took a while to get good and was quickly shipped off after the regime change.

SE174 wrote:[quote="Missing_Clink"]Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

Gee, so compared to other teams, how do suppose we break out? We had better find a GM that isn't so 'hit or miss' in those later rounds. Was the guy you are responding to saying we 'hit' every pick in those rounds?

Batting essentially .500 in the 4th and 5th rounds is superstar territory. Most teams would be thrilled to bat .250. The best 4th/5th rounder Ruskell had was... Red Bryant or Rob Sims. Bryant was a failure until Ruskell was replaced, and Sims took a while to get good and was quickly shipped off after the regime change.[/quote]

Exactly. Grading a team's picks in those rounds comes down to batting avg and our personnel guys are among the best in the league in that area.

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

Gee, so compared to other teams, how do suppose we break out? We had better find a GM that isn't so 'hit or miss' in those later rounds. Was the guy you are responding to saying we 'hit' every pick in those rounds?

Was I saying that it's a terrible thing that we hit or miss? You misread my post entirely. I wasn't denigrating Pete or John at all, just simply observing that we either hit 4th and 5th rounders out of the park, or they fizzle out quickly. Like kearly said, the fact that we've hit so many times in such a short amount of time in those later rounds is incredible.

"You can hurry up all you want. But if you can't get yards and can't complete passes, then it's just quick three-and-outs." -- Richard Sherman

What attracted you to the Seahawks? “It’s a combination of what I believe the coaches are doing here, the atmosphere and what I think we’re going to do here in the future. I think we’re going to win and win a lot and be a championship team.” – Zac Miller, August 4, 2011

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

LeGree, Durham and Wilson are gone so those are misses but to call Howard or Toomer a miss after one season is a bit silly, Kam was only a backup after one season. Developed into a pro bowler in year 2, not saying Howard or Toomer will but it's too soon to call it either way.

Only saw a couple of clips, but I liked that he seems to reach out and catch with his hands. That seems to be a dying art lately. So many guys let the ball get into their bodies on so many catches. It's all about the technique.

Talent can get you to the playoffs.It takes character to win when you get there.SUPER BOWL XLVIII CHAMPIONS

I will never question a JS/PC draft pick until they give me a reason to. Stats aren't everything and that is what seems to be why everyone questioned the pick. It is really easy to be an armchair player evaluator.

Seafan wrote:Looks like he made a good first day impression. He's an intriguing athlete to say the least. The fact he was one of only two players named by JS as "must-gets" from the draft impresses me.

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

LeGree, Durham and Wilson are gone so those are misses but to call Howard or Toomer a miss after one season is a bit silly, Kam was only a backup after one season. Developed into a pro bowler in year 2, not saying Howard or Toomer will but it's too soon to call it either way.

I agree with W.C.Steve:

Howard made the team, Toomer was put on the practice squad.

Everyone knew Toomer would be a raw, developmental prospect and was a longshot to make the team.

In Howard's case, I think the Seahawks liked him enough, but he still had to develop his base and core strength to be a little more consistent. . Seahawks, also, had one of the best Defenses, last season, which shows the strength of their players and its depth chart. Only 45 players are allowed to suit up, some guys just had to be inactive. Besides the person who pretty much recruited Jaye Howard to the Seahawks, is now the Seahawk's Defensive Coordinator. If anyone knows how to use Howard's skillset and maximize his potential its going to be Dan Quinn.

Hope Willson is able to stick if he shows he can handle the blocking aspect. I am just amazed at the TE depth that Rice University had. Their starter is drafted in the 2nd, Willson in the 5th and another signing with the Cowboys (?) as an UDFA. I think the Huskies had two of the TEs back in the day make it to camps like this.

Seafan wrote:Looks like he made a good first day impression. He's an intriguing athlete to say the least. The fact he was one of only two players named by JS as "must-gets" from the draft impresses me.

One thing that I find interesting is this - Wasn't Wilson the second tight end picked from Rice in the draft? Didn't the 49ers take a tight end Right in front of us in an earlier round That caused the Seahawks to trade back?

At the time I remember thinking That the Hawks must have been eying THAT player - And we ended up with his teammate in a later round...weird. Add to that that JS is fired up over Wilson and I'm left scratching my head.

Not that I think Wilson will be a bad player, just a strange turn if events is all.

They specifically pointed out earlier that they think Toomer is going to break out this season and is doing really good things so far. I think the lack of drafting any WLB in the draft tells me they're very confident in Toomer.

43-8...it's all about that action boss....I'm just here so I won't get fined...

I have a feeling that the 49ers were trying to copycat us on a number of players in this draft, and on this one missed the boat entirely. We probably were at Rice scouting Luke Willson because of his incredible speed at that size, then the niners followed us there, thought we were looking at McDonald, and made a point of trading up trying to one ups manship us. (ex. Patton, Daniels, drafting so many many names etc.)

I predict this: Willson outperforms, outplays, and outproduces McDonald across the course of their careers. I'd wager he edges him in receptions, yards, avg yards per reception, first downs, and TDs. And more Superbowl rings too

kigenzun wrote:I have a feeling that the 49ers were trying to copycat us on a number of players in this draft, and on this one missed the boat entirely. We probably were at Rice scouting Luke Willson because of his incredible speed at that size, then the niners followed us there, thought we were looking at McDonald, and made a point of trading up trying to one ups manship us. (ex. Patton, Daniels, drafting so many many names etc.)

I predict this: Willson outperforms, outplays, and outproduces McDonald across the course of their careers. I'd wager he edges him in receptions, yards, avg yards per reception, first downs, and TDs. And more Superbowl rings too

May the force be with you Luke

What makes you say that?

I don't have any knowledge either way, so I'm curious.

If in fact we meant to take Wilson all along, why do you think we traded back from that spot after the 9ers took the other guy?

Like I said, I know nothing about either player, I'm happy to see the Jimmy Graham comps, obviously. I hope you're right.

kigenzun wrote:I have a feeling that the 49ers were trying to copycat us on a number of players in this draft, and on this one missed the boat entirely. We probably were at Rice scouting Luke Willson because of his incredible speed at that size, then the niners followed us there, thought we were looking at McDonald, and made a point of trading up trying to one ups manship us. (ex. Patton, Daniels, drafting so many many names etc.)

I predict this: Willson outperforms, outplays, and outproduces McDonald across the course of their careers. I'd wager he edges him in receptions, yards, avg yards per reception, first downs, and TDs. And more Superbowl rings too

May the force be with you Luke

What makes you say that?

I don't have any knowledge either way, so I'm curious.

If in fact we meant to take Wilson all along, why do you think we traded back from that spot after the 9ers took the other guy?

Like I said, I know nothing about either player, I'm happy to see the Jimmy Graham comps, obviously. I hope you're right.

We've traded down early and often in every draft of the PC and JS era. We probably didn't see anyone worth taking instead of trading down and took advantage of an offer.

kigenzun wrote:I have a feeling that the 49ers were trying to copycat us on a number of players in this draft, and on this one missed the boat entirely. We probably were at Rice scouting Luke Willson because of his incredible speed at that size, then the niners followed us there, thought we were looking at McDonald, and made a point of trading up trying to one ups manship us. (ex. Patton, Daniels, drafting so many many names etc.)

I predict this: Willson outperforms, outplays, and outproduces McDonald across the course of their careers. I'd wager he edges him in receptions, yards, avg yards per reception, first downs, and TDs. And more Superbowl rings too

May the force be with you Luke

What makes you say that?

I don't have any knowledge either way, so I'm curious.

If in fact we meant to take Wilson all along, why do you think we traded back from that spot after the 9ers took the other guy?

Like I said, I know nothing about either player, I'm happy to see the Jimmy Graham comps, obviously. I hope you're right.

I can explain this for you.

First, as mentioned earlier in the thread, JS said that Luke Willson was the only player in this draft that they felt they couldn't leave without. They felt the same way about Russell Wilson and Bruce Irvin last year. That right there tells you that they had no interest in drafting Vance McDonald.

Second, they explained on Brock and Danny why they traded down. All three of the players they were eyeing in the second round were still on the board when their original pick was coming up. They felt at the time that they would be happy with any three of those players in the second round, so they made the decision to get additional picks from Baltimore who wanted to move up. Luckily, by the time their new pick came up, the top guy on their board (Christine Michael) was still available. Here's the other cool thing: another one of those three players they would've happily taken in the second was actually Jordan Hill. He ended up lasting all the way to their third round pick, and they managed to get two guys who they coveted in the second round.

The 49ers trading up for Vance McDonald had nothing to do with Seattle's decision-making. In fact, they decided to trade down before the 49ers pick was officially revealed. I think San Francisco seriously thought Seattle was eyeing McDonald and pointlessly wasted draft capital to get him.

kigenzun wrote:I have a feeling that the 49ers were trying to copycat us on a number of players in this draft, and on this one missed the boat entirely. We probably were at Rice scouting Luke Willson because of his incredible speed at that size, then the niners followed us there, thought we were looking at McDonald, and made a point of trading up trying to one ups manship us. (ex. Patton, Daniels, drafting so many many names etc.)

I predict this: Willson outperforms, outplays, and outproduces McDonald across the course of their careers. I'd wager he edges him in receptions, yards, avg yards per reception, first downs, and TDs. And more Superbowl rings too

May the force be with you Luke

What makes you say that?

I don't have any knowledge either way, so I'm curious.

If in fact we meant to take Wilson all along, why do you think we traded back from that spot after the 9ers took the other guy?

Like I said, I know nothing about either player, I'm happy to see the Jimmy Graham comps, obviously. I hope you're right.

I can explain this for you.

First, as mentioned earlier in the thread, JS said that Luke Willson was the only player in this draft that they felt they couldn't leave without. They felt the same way about Russell Wilson and Bruce Irvin last year. That right there tells you that they had no interest in drafting Vance McDonald.

Second, they explained on Brock and Danny why they traded down. All three of the players they were eyeing in the second round were still on the board when their original pick was coming up. They felt at the time that they would be happy with any three of those players in the second round, so they made the decision to get additional picks from Baltimore who wanted to move up. Luckily, by the time their new pick came up, the top guy on their board (Christine Michael) was still available. Here's the other cool thing: another one of those three players they would've happily taken in the second was actually Jordan Hill. He ended up lasting all the way to their third round pick, and they managed to get two guys who they coveted in the second round.

The 49ers trading up for Vance McDonald had nothing to do with Seattle's decision-making. In fact, they decided to trade down before the 49ers pick was officially revealed. I think San Francisco seriously thought Seattle was eyeing McDonald and pointlessly wasted draft capital to get him.

Thanks for sharing, I hadn't heard about the 3 still on their board. If that's the case than this draft class was certainly a productive one. I'm really exicted to see what the 2 DT's can do. I'm also very excited to see what kind of impact Harper and Willson will make on this team. I've got to beleive both will make the team and should be contributors this year.

kearly wrote:Willson has nearly identical size and speed to Jimmy Graham, in fact he was the only draftable tight end this year who could really make a claim like that. So the sense of excitement about getting him makes complete sense. I don't think Willson will be that good, but at his best he might be one of the better vertical threat TEs in the league. Seattle's offense is all about making defenses as uncomfortable as possible. Even if Wilson only has 200 yards receiving next season, he could still elevate the offense as teams will have to account for him.

We just need an Evan Moore who can actually catch the ball. That guy was the perfect piece for our offense, except that he dropped the ball almost every time it hit him in the hands.

If Willson can upgrade on that and he can actually catch, our receiving game will be wide open with 2 TE sets.

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

I think saying Jaye Howard and Korey Toomer are misses is a bit presumptuous. They have only been on the squad for a year and both had guys pretty much penciled in as starters ahead of them. If Toomer and Howard can't perform well enough to get some playing time this year, then we might begin considering them as misses. Personally, I think both of them are going to surprise a lot of people after working with one of the best coaching staffs in the NFL for a year.

Bravo for Willson and I hope he's everything the expect him to be. If he is, that will make this offense dynamic in the passing game. Imagine adding another tall receiver, one that weighst 250#, for Russell to spot running free past those "tiny" DBs downfield.

I have big hopes for Willson but they are tempered by his injury history. He had an ankle injury, presumably a high ankle sprain, in 2012 that limited him to 9 catches for a meager 126 yards and 2 TDs. From what I could find, he had ankle problems in 2011 that forced him to miss time and there were some injury issues in 2010 but information is hard to come by.

It's not like he had a lot of opportunity to catch the ball when he was on the field. The Rice football team seemed to focus on the run and in 2012 averaged 201.8 yards per game with a 4.2 ypa average which netted them 26 rushing touchdowns. But their passing game wasn't bad either with their QB, Taylor McHargue having ~60% completion percentage and a 12 to 5 TD to INT ratio. For the year, McHargue had 194 completions.

In 2012 Willson was a team captain and finished his career at Rice with 78 catches for 986 yards (12.6 yards per) and 9 TDs.

Apparently his father and both brothers have played sports and besides football, Luke spent time in the Blue Jays 2011 "extended" spring training camp.

I hope he can get in the training he needs to avoid injuries or his career will be over before it gets started.

I especially enjoyed this quote:

"I had got a phone call at pick No. 157 and when I answered the phone I saw a Seattle area code. I answered it and it was (GM John Schneider) and I actually gave the thumbs up and my family and friends erupted. To be honest, I actually didn't even watch my selection on TV because I already knew and, besides, I was shaking I was so excited."

Missing_Clink wrote:Very interesting. I will readily admit that was the one pick I thought seemed pretty ridiculous, only because he seemed like a 7th rounder at best. It would be awesome if they strike gold yet again on an unheralded 5th rounder

That hit rate, coupled with the fact that we intentionally add additional 4th/5th round picks by sacrificing our day 1/2 draft position is virtually akin to getting 2 first round picks every single year. Even if you account for the NFL standard 'hit' rates.

That is beyond fantastic. And what's better, is that it's an ability that is sustainable throughout periods of success.